Legend of Zelda: Back to the Future
by PencilGirl92
Summary: As if traveling through time the first time wasn't bad enough, Link is told by his grandson and a strangely familiar-looking boy to go forward in time to a not-so-bright future. Rated for violence just like in the games. Reviews appreciated.
1. Prologue: A Bleak Future

Prologue: A Bleak Future

Prologue: A Bleak Future

Marcus ran through Kakariko Village, chasing away some cuccos in his path. Just yesterday, the sky was a clear blue, but now, it threatened the villagers' very lives.

Darkness had spread throughout the peaceful land of Hyrule. It was a strange darkness, like black fog across the land. This very darkness had already taken several victims. Marcus's mother was one of them.

Now, he searched for his friend. He hoped that he had not fallen victim as well but also hoped for his comfort.

"Ganor!" Marcus called out and pounded on the small hut's door. "Open up! Are you there?"

The knob turned, and Marcus met the orange eyes of his best friend. "Marcus. Whatever is the matter?"

"Look above you!" Marcus's own sapphire blue eyes were filled with fear. Ganor looked up, his long red-orange hair falling from his face. He gasped at the sight.

"What happened here?" Ganor stepped out of the hut and closed the door.

Marcus, the grandson of the Courage Triangle's chosen one, was filled with such fear he could not respond.

"We have to do something!" Ganor noticed that he was paler than normal, blonde hair drenched with sweat. "Get a hold of yourself!" Ganor did not go pale. His skin was too dark for that. He took his copper hands and shook Marcus. "What about your grandfather?"

Link had passed before the birth of his grandson. His wife, the beautiful, red-haired Malon herself (whom he had promised to her father years ago to marry) had passed as well. Marcus only had the legends to learn about his grandfather. His father, son of the hero had died when Marcus was only eight years old.

Ganor, Marcus knew, had the same pain of the death of his father at a young age, though he kept his past and his home secret. It was as if he had just randomly appeared in Kakariko Village one day.

"My grandfather?" Marcus snapped out of his fear in confusion.

"Remember the legends?" Ganor had an idea. "It states that Link, the Hero of Time went to the Temple of Time and was able to time travel! You still have that heirloom, that purple wind instrument, do you not?"

"That's the sacred Orcarina of Time! I could never use that!"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures!"

Indeed that was true. The boys found the ocarina in its crystal case. They ran to the Temple of Time and Marcus put it to his lips. He knew the song well, for he had heard so much about it. The notes drifted through the air as if they had matter to them. The Song of Time echoed to them through the emptiness of the room. They felt spun, though they didn't move at all. They were leaving the present, flying to the past. Fourty-five years sooner, when the Hero of Time had just ended his journey…


	2. The Rising of the Dead

The Rising of the Dead

The Rising of the Dead

Ganor and Marcus split up to look for the legendary hero. Ganor searched the Market while Marcus went to check if he was at Kakariko Village. Ganor was the one to find him. "You, sir!"

Link turned, startled. "I?"

"Are you the one they call the Hero of Time?"

"Yes, of course."

"My name is Ganor. I am from the future. We need your help! We're the only ones brave enough to fight."

"Fight?"

"Monsters have come. Strong monsters. And your family…"

"My family?"

"Your son's son."

"You lost me."

"Your grandson is with me. Using the Orcarina of Time we came to the future to find you. Will you come?"

The great Hero did not hesitate. "Let's go!"

The three of them stepped out of the Temple. "This," Ganor began, "is Hyrule as we know it."

Marcus added, "Thanks to you, everything was peaceful."

"Was?" Link asked.

Ganor pointed to the darkened sky. "Hyrule is covered in darkness."

"Monsters have attacked. And… and…" Marcus could not continue.

"The darkness had swallowed some people. They'd just vanish into a dark hole. His mother was one of the victims."

"We have to stop it!"

Link agreed whole-heartedly. "Let's head out!"

They arrived at the village, hoping no more damage was done. A girl sat by the well, obviously depressed, while two other children ran around, cheerfully playing a game.

The girl saw the three young men walking toward her. "Good day," she smiled.

"What's wrong?" Marcus asked.

"Uh… nothing… I…" They all looked at her in anticipation. "I do not wish to frighten you…"

"Frighten us?" Ganor asked. "What is it your hiding?"

"I am hiding nothing… My—my father says that Ganondorf is back!"

"No way! He was sealed away for good 16 years ago!"

"How could he have possibly…" Ganor was lost in his thoughts.

"I don't understand," Link was so confused at this future thing.

"I don't either! The seal was not supposed to open. Wait! In the legends! There's a poem in the legends! I don't know it well, but my father should. He's in the library!"

He was. He was hunched over one of the books of legend. "Yes, I can help you. The poem is right here. It was the last words Ganon spoke before being sealed away again, this time forever, by the Hero of Time.

"'_I've come back from other seals_

_And I will be back again._

_There is one way this seal can break,_

_But not by normal powers of man._

"'_Darkness will encloud Hyrule_

_And as people run in fear,_

_Others will be taken, and_

_Their families will shed tears._

"'_The only way this could occur_

_Is if the dead would rise again._

_Then I would indeed return_

_To rule this god-blessed land._

"'_I tell you that I will be back_

_To take over this place._

_And when I'm finally victorious,_

_I'll end the Hylian race!'_

"I suppose the 'dead rose.' I don't understand it though."

"Well," Marcus thought aloud, "we know that Ganondorf is back. But we're still not completely sure."

"Perhaps if he truly had returned, he would be in his homeland."

"You mean Gerudo Desert, right?"

They barely came upon the desert when Ganor told them, "I'll see if I can find any clues or something out here. You guys go ahead."

"If you insist," Marcus agreed. He and Link continued on.

"Are the Gerudo still thieves?" Link asked.

"No. You can't blame them, either. After that whole thing with Ganondorf…"

"I see."

A young girl walked by them. "Hey, you!"

"Me?" the girl's wide eyes peered at them in suspicion.

"What's your name?"

"Rianna, yours?"

"I'm Marcus. I was wondering if you knew anything about Ganondorf."

"He was sealed away about… 16 years ago. Everyone knows that!"

"We heard he had returned."

"That's impossible."

"Apparently the 'dead rose' or something. Any ideas?"

"Faeries have powerful healing abilities if used at the right time. Perhaps they healed someone."

"I guess that could be a possibility. By the way, who is your new king?"

"We don't have one."

"Is he dead?"

"He must be."

Shaking the strange answer, they left the desert. Ganor was there to great them. "What did you find out?"

"Nothing," Marcus admitted. "You?"

"Nothing."

"Perhaps another race knows," Link suggested. "Besides, I want to check in on Kokiri Forest."

"Alright, then!" Marcus exclaimed.

"I love the forest!" Marcus sighed happily.

"Me, not so much…" Ganor stated.

"Where are you from anyway?"

"It doesn't matter. I was banished from my home, never to return!"

"What do you mean?" Link was curious.

"It doesn't matter now. Let's go."

"I just noticed something…" Marcus started. "No one's out here…"

"Look at this." Ganor pointed to a sign. "'Home of the Great Mido, Boss of the Kokiris. Lets go in here."

They opened the door and walked in. Right then, a voice, small but with authority boomed. "Who dares step into the Great Mido's house without knocking?"

"Knock, knock. Happy?" Marcus said, annoyed.

"Hmph! You're just—" He stopped short and stared. "L-Link?"

"Yes, it is," Link answered.

"Impossible! It's almost as if the _dead rose_!"

There was a long pause as the realization sunk in.

Marcus cried out, "That's it! Thanks, Mido!"

"Wait, what?" Link was even more confused.

"Don't you get it? You're dead!"

"Gee, thanks."

"No, no. You died awhile ago. But you came with us to the future, so it's like the dead rose!"

"I understand now!" Ganor exclaimed.

"I am glad that the Great Mido could be of assistance!" Mido bowed.

"Stop talking about yourself in the third person you conceited jerk!" Marcus grumbled.

"I beg your pardon and your apology!"

"Granted and not granted. Now let's go. Now we know for sure that he's alive!"

"Who?"

"Ganondorf."

"Yikes!"

"Let's head back to the village!"

"I'll come along!" a small fairy flew to them before they left.

"Who are you?" Ganor scowled at the small thing.

"You may call me Tinra. I am pleased to be of service to you!"

"Alright. Let's go already!" Marcus led them out of the forest.


	3. Royalty in Danger

Royalty in Danger

Royalty in Danger

"What are we supposed to do?" Ganor paced beneath the large tree at the entrance to the village. He was getting frustrated with this whole issue. "We're not getting anywhere!"

"Not true," Marcus reassured him. "We found out about the whole 'dead rising' thing."

"We still don't know where Ganondorf is!"

"Let's go to Zora's Domain!" Tinra offered.

"What on earth do you expect to learn from them?"

"Zoras are wise. Especially the new prince! Prince Miru knows a lot about the legends!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Marcus was filled with newfound energy. "Let's go!"

They arrived at a gate blocking them from the entrance to the domain. "Halt!" a Zora guard stopped them.

"Uh…" Marcus hesitated. "We come in peace?"

"We can't trust anyone. Not at this time. I'll escort you out."

They were thrown out. "Great. Now what?" Ganor moaned.

"We have to find a way in…" Link scanned the gate for anything. He saw seaweed-type vines growing on the gate's wall. "There!"

They carefully climbed up and jumped to the other side. Knowing that they had to be quiet, they snuck through the domain's entrance. They entered just to see more guards patrolling. (Much like Link had to go through as a child in Hyrule Castle.)

When they finally got through all of them, they ended up in a throne room where a jeweled Zora sat. "How did you get past the guards?"

"They were stupid," Ganor said simply.

"What do you want?"

Seeing how worried Prince Miru was, Link was half tempted to say 'We want to rule over Zora's domain! Mwah ha ha ha ha…' but of course he didn't. "We need your help."

"With what?"

Tinra answered, "Ganondorf has returned, and I thought you would know something about it."

Miru paused, looking at them with fear-filled eyes. "Yes. I know of the legends. Most of all, I know this darkness's power. Half the population of my people had disappeared without warning. I fear that I am next."

"You won't be," Link stated heroically. "We'll stop this."

Prince Miru scribbled a note on a piece of parchment and handed it to them. "Take this. It will come in handy. Trust me."

The three of them read it:

_"Because of the sickness of the poor, young Princess Zelda, I am willing to help her. Please let me into the castle before it's too late. Prince Miru trusts me (signature below)._

_**Prince Miru Zora**_

_**Son of Queen Ruto Zora**_

_**(may she rest in peace)**__"_

"Zelda is sick?" Marcus asked.

"It's probably because of the darkness," Tinra explained.

"Let's go, then."

"Let me tell you this," Miru added before they left. "You don't have much time. Her mother died from that very sickness. You must help her!"

They had no trouble getting past the guards, thanks to the Prince's document. They proceeded to the throne room, where two Sheikah stood over the sick princess.

"Who are you?" one of them asked.

"We came to help," Ganor answered.

"Yes," Marcus felt the need to add. "This is the Hero of Time. We went back in time to get him so that he could get rid of this darkness!"

"The Hero of Time?" the other questioned. "Prove it. Draw the Master Sword from the pedestal in the Temple of Time. The seal is somehow already broken anyway."

The three of them sighed but left for the Temple. "I feel déjà vu," Link declared.

"Hurry up already," Marcus groaned.

They entered through the Doors of Time. Ganor felt woozy. "I—I don't feel—" He collapsed.

"Oh, no!" Marcus kneeled to him, worried. "Hurry and draw the sword!"

Link obeyed, and they carried Ganor out of there.

After awhile, he finally came to. "Are you okay, there, buddy?" Marcus asked. Ganor nodded.

"That's strange…" Link stated. "I've never heard of anyone fainting in the Temple of Time…"

Ganor shook his head, "Me neither…" Then, as if he was trying to hide something, he urged. "We have no time to worry about that! We must hurry to the princess!"

The three ran from the Temple and returned to the castle. The Sheikah were there waiting. "He is indeed the hero of time," the one that challenged them declared.

"Still," said the other, "it won't do any good."

"What do you mean?" Link questioned.

"The sword lost its power when the seal broke."

"But enough of that!" the other Sheikah interrupted. "You must save the princess! Go to the Forest Temple. It should be easiest for you, since you know it well. All the princess needs at the moment is for darkness not to cover all of Hyrule."

"We're on it!" Ganor declared.


	4. When the Going Gets Tough

When the Going Gets Tough

When the Going Gets Tough

Kokiri Forest was looking grim as the trio walked through to the Lost Woods.

"How will we find our way through this cursed forest?" Ganor asked, frustrated.

"Can't you hear the music?" Link asked.

Ganor listened closer. Softly in the distance, the care-free melody of Saria's Song filled their ears. They had to simply follow the sound to the temple's entrance. Though that didn't come as easy as expected.

"We got company!" Marcus discovered as they entered the thick woods. Already, they were greeted by several Deku Babas and mini-Gohma-like monsters. Luckily, Marcus brought a silver longsword along, and Ganor brought a curved samari-like sword.

"Leave the plant things to me!" Ganor offered. He made his blade power up with fire. Link and Marcus were amazed at his magic. He sliced through those plants, burning them to ashes.

"Careful not to burn down the whole forest, though!" Marcus called.

Nonetheless, his power made it easier to get through the forest. Soon, they were right outside the forest temple. "We made it," Ganor sighed.

Marcus spotted someone sitting near the entrance to the temple. She was dressed in green, yet he could see through her, as if she were a spirit.

"Saria!" Link called.

"Link! It's been forever!" Saria glided down. She was in fact a spirit. She could be considered one, at least. Ever since she became a sage, she had great powers.

"We must enter the temple!"

"Are you sure? It's very dangerous in there!"

"It's the only way to save the princess!" Marcus cut in.

"Then I suppose there is no other choice. Go on in."

A staircase appeared in front of them, leading straight to the door of the temple. "Thank you," Link whispered. They headed in.

It wasn't a surprise to Link when two Wolfos attacked them. The disposed of them easily, though, and carried on into the temple. Things had changed quite a bit since Link's adventure. Torches now lined the walls, providing much-needed light. The three of them walked through the hallways, fighting Stalfos and Skulltulas along the way. There was also, of course, the occasional Deku Baba, but they were handled easily by Ganor. As they went deeper into the dungeon, they came across a large room with a giant Stalfos. It took them a little longer to defeat him so that they could go on through the next door. The teamwork, though, made it easier. They all hit it with their swords, and its shield could only block one. Through the door, they entered the all too familiar room of the four torches. All of the torches were lit with a natural red flame, though, showing that no Poes would be present. Or so they thought.

"Look up there!" Marcus called, pointing above him. A giant Poe unlike anyone's ever seen descended upon them, cackling. "Great."

"Who dares disturb me?" the ghost hissed.

"You are the cause of the darkness over the forest!"

It gave a chilling laugh. "Why of course I am!" It laughed again.

"Then be prepared to die!" Link jumped up and swung his sword. Unfortunately, it went right through it. "I should have known that wouldn't work. The Sword of Evil's Bane has lost its power…"

"The flames!" Marcus exclaimed.

"What?"

"If there is no light, the ghost will become solid."

Link glanced at the four torches. "How are we going to blow them out?"

"My sword will absorb them," Ganor walked over to one and placed his sword to it. As he said, the sword absorbed the flame. He did the same for the other three.

"No! No!" the Poe cried. "You will still not win!"

"We'll just see about that!" Marcus dove at it. The Poe whacked him out of the way. He fell against a torch.

"Marcus!" Ganor yelled. "You'll pay for that!"

"Be careful, just because he's fully materialized doesn't mean we'll win!"

Marcus struggled to his feet. "Sorry about that."

"Are you alright?" Ganor asked, worried.

"Perfectly fine! No worries!"

The three of them came up with a plan and surrounded the Poe. "Now!" Link yelled. They all ran at the Poe from their different directions. The ghost did not let them strike. He spun around with his scythe and they all flew outward, hitting the ground hard. They got up, but knew that their plan would not work well.

"I know!" Ganor declared. He whispered his plan. They surrounded the giant again and ran at him. This time, though, Ganor jumped up and struck above it as it spun. The others recovered and came over to have their share of slicing it. Soon, it disappeared into a cloud of black smoke.

"We did it," Marcus huffed.

"Let's go back to the castle!" Link said.

Going back through the forest wasn't tough, and they easily made it to the castle.

"The princess is better, thanks to you!" the Sheikah who gave the mission declared.

"It was no problem," Link stated. "May we see her?"

"Of course, Histou is with her."

Histou was the other Sheikah. "Niron, the heroes have returned?"

"Yes they have."

"Greetings, heroes," a small voice said. It was the princess, a young girl no older than ten. "I thank you for all you've done." She smiled at each of them but halted her gaze on Ganor. "You look… awfully familiar. Have you ever come here before?"

"No, not that you would have seen," Ganor replied with a small bow. Then, he stiffened, realization upon him.

"What is it?" Marcus asked.

"Nothing! You must be mistaking me for someone else…"

"But you are very similar," the princess tilted her head. "And for some reason the image is planted in my brain… No, wait." She straightened up. "Your hair is longer. But that's the only difference."

"_O-Only difference_?"

"Tell us when you remember," Link requested.

"I will," the princess smiled.

"For now," Histou frantically said, "you should save the other areas of Hyrule."

"Where should we go next?" Marcus questioned.

"Link, Marcus, Ganor, hurry!" Tinra flew in.

"Weren't you with us the whole time?"

"No, but hurry! It's Prince Miru! He's… he's dying!"

All six of them gasped. "We have to go! We'll return later!" Link shouted back to them as the trio ran off.

"Prince Miru!" Link called.

"Heroes," Prince Miru was on the ground, "you must… run… from here… You… are in danger. Ganondorf… he… he's here!"

"What?" Marcus cried. "We're not nearly ready to fight him!"

"Please, run… there's nothing more you can do for me… I am already going to—"

"No!" Link interrupted.

"There is one hope," an unknown voice drifted through the room. "I will give you my power for your strength. It is better that you survive than me."

Link recognized the voice, "Ruto?"

"Yes, Link." Princess Ruto appeared before them. "Take care of my son and my kingdom."

"Mother," Miru begged. "Do not waste your power on me!"

"I must before it is too late. You are the only Zora remaining here. Farewell…" Her magic was cast and she faded away.

"No! Mother, please!" Prince Miru stood. "You must save the domain! Great Heroes, I beg of you! The land is dry now, so it should be easy for you. I warn you, though, Ganondorf is still here. You must stay away from him until the time is right."

"Gladly," Ganor nodded.

"Good luck."


	5. A Dark Secret

A Dark Secret

A Dark Secret

They came across the entrance to Zora's Domain. Marcus gasped at the tall, dark man that was there. It was Ganondorf. He was speaking to a Zola. "I trust you did as I told you."

"Yes, my lord," the Zola replied. "Everything went well."

"Good, it's about time Link got what he deserved!"

"Yes, Your Highness. And in the meantime, aren't you searching for another?"

"Yes. Although the Gerudos try to hide him, he is alive and well. I can sense it."

"Who is this other, anyway?"

"I mustn't tell you too much. All I will say is that he should be King of the Gerudos."

Marcus gasped. "The king is alive!" he whispered. "The Gerudos said he was dead!"

"Well," the Zola servant continued, "I will make sure this place stays dry."

"Very good," Ganondorf replied. "And I— No!"

"What is it, my lord?"

"That Zora Prince is still alive!"

"How could that be?"

"No doubt Link has returned. I'll destroy that Prince! Maybe that will get that Hero's attention so that I can finish him once and for all!" He laughed his horrid laugh.

"No!" Marcus whispered. "We have to protect Miru!"

"We should take him to the castle!"

The four entered the throne room, greeted by Zelda. They explained everything they had encountered.

"You saw Ganondorf, then?" Histou asked.

"Yes," Marcus answered. "I've never seen him before. It was… frightening…"

"Wait!" Zelda looked as if she had just remembered something. "I've seen Ganondorf! He tried to capture me! But then a Sheikah… no, not just any Sheikah… the legendary Impa saved me! And—" The princess gasped.

"What, what is it?" Niron questioned.

"That's who it was! Ganondorf's face was the image planted in my brain!"

"Wait, you've said that before," Marcus realized.

"Yes, I said that Ganor looked just like him!"

"It's all adding up," Link stated. "The wooziness in the holy Temple, Ganor not coming into Gerudo Desert with us, Ganondorf looking for someone… but that means…!"

"Ganor is not only the next King of Gerudos, but he's Ganondorf's son!"

"We've discovered the truth too late…" Marcus sighed. Ganor was gone.

"Now what?" Link asked.

"If you were to find Ganondorf, you'll probably find Ganor as well," the princess replied.

"So where do we look?"

"I know of another land that Ganondorf wished to take over!"

"Other than Hyrule?"

"Yes. That land is—" Before she could finish, the darkness swallowed her.

"Princess!" Histou called.

"No!" Niron cried.

"Now what?" Marcus asked, more frustrated than ever.

"You must find Impa!"

"And the other sages!" Histou added.

"Then we have no time to lose!" Link declared. "Let's start at the forest!"

Ganor made it as far away as possible. "They know now… They'll never trust me…" He sighed at his problem. "Marcus was my best friend… my only friend… I was rejected from my home in Gerudo Desert just because I was the son of some murderer! Who's to say I'd end up like him?" Soon a chill drifted down his spine. He felt the presence of powerful darkness.

"Your destiny awaits…" said a deep, evil voice. Ganor felt connected to it. "Your destiny awaits… my son!"

"Ganondorf!" Ganor nearly shouted.

"You are the Prince of Evil! Let the darkness give you strength!" Ganor turned to his father. "You cannot deny the evil within you."

Ganor clenched his teeth and tightened his fists. "I will _never_ follow you!"

Ganondorf laughed his cruel laugh. "There is darkness within you. Don't fight it. Let it strengthen you."

_The darkness is giving me power unlike anything I've ever felt before!_ Ganor thought to himself as he looked upon his father. _But the last thing I want to do is join this evil man. _ He unclenched his fists and relaxed his jaw. _Or is it…?_


	6. Preparing for the Mission

A 'Termina'l Adventure

Preparing for the Mission

"Where's your friend?" Saria asked, sitting atop her house in Kokiri Forest.

Marcus's eyes were downcast. "He—he was Ganondorf's son all along…"

Saria gasped. She looked at Link with caring eyes, for he was the only one to meet her gaze. "I'm so sorry…"

"I can't believe his treachery!"

Link sighed. "We have no reason to dwell on the past. Hyrule is in danger of this darkness. Ganondorf is walking free. We need help from the sages and whomever we can find that can fight!"

"We also need to find out what that other land was that Ganondorf hopes to take over!"

Saria thought a moment. "What about Termina? That's one of the lands outside Hyrule. Do you think he'd be interested in that?"

"Perhaps," Link pondered. "That is a possibility."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Marcus exclaimed.

"Marcus, we still aren't ready—"

"We have to kill Ganondorf before he takes anyone else!"

"Ganor was his son, he wasn't taken from us. He left by his own will."

"That traitor!" Marcus was angrier than he has ever been. He had total faith in his friend, and now, he was gone… along with that trust.

Saria changed the subject. "You mentioned that you needed help from the sages? I could call them to the Sacred Realm. Go to the Temple of Time and play the Prelude of Light against the Song of Time. It will bring you there." Saria vanished.

"Again, we're back here…" Link and Marcus had warped with the Prelude of Light. It was much easier than going out into the field and fighting monsters. "Saria told us to play the Prelude of light and the Song of Time. I'll play the Prelude of Light, because you know the Song of Time better than that."

Marcus nodded. They took out their orcarinas, which were different – Link had his original orcarina – and blew. The notes clashed and flowed at different times. It was beautiful, yet chaotic… soon, they found themselves in the Sacred Realm.

Each sage was there, waiting for them. "Link," Rauru said. "Hold up your blade." Link did so, and each sage offered their power to him. "Remember, you hold the power of the triforce… in fact, you both do…" Marcus gasped. He looked down at his hand, and sure enough, there was that glowing triangle, the Courage Triforce.

"But… I'm not courageous…" Marcus stuttered.

"It has grown weak with the evil that's been rising since Ganor's birth. His piece of the triforce is Power, just like his father's. Unfortunately, Ganondorf has used that second piece of his force to drain the others. He now has more power than ever before. Ganor has half the power that Ganondorf originally had."

"But how can the triangles split their power like that?" Link asked.

"You know that when the goddesses first created Hyrule, they were as one with one triforce. When Ganondorf got his hands on that power, it split into three separate triangles. At Ganor's birth, however, it split again. That weakened their power even more. What you must do now is regain the triforce to its original form. We've tried for years to restore the triforce to its true power, with all of the triangles as one, but we never could."

"So what would allow that to happen?"

"We do not know. If we did, the triforce would be returned."

Marcus thought a minute. "So it was Ganor…"

"He is the Dark Lord's son. You shouldn't be surprised," Rauru said.

"What about Princess Zelda?" Link suddenly asked. "And the others that were taken?"

"You are concerned for their well-being? They will be fine… that is, if you succeed."

"So, we have to fight Ganondorf… _again_ and restore the triforce."

"Yes. Use the power of your own piece of the Triforce to your advantage. Link, we restored your sword. It's not to its full power, but it's stronger than it was. Marcus…" he turned to the youth who was still staring at his hand, "you need a blade as well."

"Pardon?" Marcus was shocked. "What's wrong with this one?"

"My boy, that blade could not cut a finger of the monsters you'll be facing!"

Marcus froze. What has he gotten himself into? "Then, what can I use? I mean… it's not like I can wield the Sword of Evil's Bane…"

"No, Link has that… but for you… is this…" A golden-hilted sword appears. The blade is double-edged but perfectly triangular. "This is the Sage's Sword… see each jewel on it?" On the hilt were seven jewels lined up. The first was a diamond, representing light, the second was an emerald, representing forest, the third was a ruby, representing fire, the center was an opal stone the color pink, representing Zelda herself who was the Sage of Time, next was a sapphire, representing water, after was an onyx stone, representing shadow, and last was an amber gem, representing spirit. Each jewel sparkled with a certain beauty. "This is the sword you must wield. You've been chosen by us to have this sword, so use it well."

Marcus stared at the blade. He sheathed it in replacement of his weaker sword. He was to be a hero now. He smiled at the thought. He knew he couldn't let them down.

They returned to the temple. "Well, where to, Marcus?"

"We're not nearly ready for Ganondorf…" he stated. "Maybe we should rid each area of Hyrule of this darkness before we move on to Termina.

Link nodded. "Good idea. Perhaps that would weaken him. Besides, the people live in fear here everyday…"

So they set out on their journey. It was time for the true quest to begin. They would start at Zora's Domain. It would mean a lot to Miru. And also to Ruto… perhaps it will strengthen her power and the power of their swords.


	7. Dehydrated yet Deadly

CHAPTER

Dehydrated yet Deadly

The two heroes entered a dried up Water Temple. "This is definitely not what comes to mind when I think 'Water Temple,'" Marcus stated.

"Looks like Ganondorf wanted it dry for some reason… but why?" Link wondered aloud.

"Possibly to kill all of the Zoras that lived here."

"But they were already taken by the darkness."

"That's true…"

But they had no more time to chat. Just then, several Zolas surrounded them. How they could survive without the water, the duo didn't know, but they also didn't care. They drew their swords and prepared for battle. The Zolas jumped on them, but they easily sliced them away. It was easy, too easy.

"Ganondorf's goons don't stand a chance against us!" Marcus declared. "Let's go! We have to take care of the cause of the darkness here!"

"I wonder what it'll be this time…" Link said.

They advanced through the dungeon and were met with more Zolas. They did a simple spin attack each, and the enemies vaporized. Soon, they came across a small opening, which they both had trouble squeezing through. On the other side, it was as hot and as dry as Gerudo Desert. Link and Marcus were surprised to see it this way. Four Peahats were hidden in the ground, three Moblins were in the center, and two large Darknuts were waiting for them at the door across the way. So many monsters placed here, no doubt by Ganondorf.

"Well, what should we start with?" Marcus asked.

"Let's save the Darknuts for last, so try not to get their attention," Link replied. "The Moblins will be easy, but the Peahats get pretty violent…"

"Alright."

With that, they dove toward the Moblins and destroyed them within minutes. The Peahats, however, had been provoked. "Heads up!" Link shouted. They each sliced at their separate Peahats. Soon, the Darknuts were all that remained. "Alright, I'll take the one on this side, and you get that other one."

"Deal."

The two split up, and got the attention of their separate enemies. Link sidestepped and jumped to slash the back of his. Meanwhile, Marcus rolled under his and poked his sword in his back. Both of them lost a piece of their armor. One down, an almost unlimited amount more to go. Link hopped over his enemy's head and drove his sword into him. Marcus rolled around the side of his and sliced upward. Another piece of armor fell for each. The two heroes went back to back. Nodding to each other, they waited for the Darknuts to strike. They quickly dodged the attacks and hit their separate enemy's back. The last piece of armor fell, and the rest of the battle was easier. A single strike more did the trick, and they received a key for their efforts.

Using the key, Link and Marcus advanced through the door. There was a narrow tunnel. There were no lights anywhere, so it was pitch black inside. "What kind of key leads into a cave?" Marcus asked, annoyed.

"You haven't been on many journeys, have you?" Link responded.

"Alright, know-it-all, where are we supposed to get a light?"

Link pulled out a small lamp. "Luckily, I keep this with me at all times nowadays." He smiled smugly. "One must always be prepared for situations such as this."

"Oh, shut it…"

Link laughed and guided them through the cave. Keese kept annoying them and diving in, but they swung their swords and destroyed them. Soon, they reached the end and began to smell what seemed like rain.

They stepped through the hole made after Link moved aside a boulder. There, in front of them was a small, shallow pond of water. They came into the room and stepped into the water. It came up to the opening of Link's boots.

"The water's back," Marcus said.

"Yeah," Link hesitated. "But why? I have a bad feeling—"

Just then, a giant sea dragon came down from above them. "What the…?"

"Great, the monster in charge of the darkness here!"

"What's your plan now, Hero?"

"Its back. We have to get onto it and slice its head!"

The dragon would not make that easy. It flew up and circled around, then came down to try to bite their heads off. Marcus struck it when it went after him and with a cry, it landed hard in the small pond. Link ran up to it and jumped, facing his sword downward. It went right through the muzzle of the monster. He missed because the enemy dodged. However, now it was unable to bite them. Link left his sword in it and called to Marcus.

"You have to do the final blow!" he shouted.

Marcus held his blade at the ready. The monster dove down to hit him with his long tail, but Marcus sliced at it. The dragon fell once again, and Marcus hopped onto his back, jabbing the sword into the back of its neck. "You're finished!"

The dragon was defeated. It disappeared into a cloud of black smoke, just as the other one did. "I don't understand," Link stated. "Why would Ganondorf place a water-dwelling guardian if he was going to dry up the place?"

"Good question," was all Marcus could reply.

The duo left the Domain, only to find Prince Miru standing there to meet them. "My mother contacted me, saying that you were here. I thank you for all that you've done."

"It was no problem!" Marcus grinned.

"Well, we can't waste time now," Link said. "We have to get rid of the rest of the darkness!"

"The ranch needs you," Prince Miru told them. "They have been attacked by many monsters. They need help."

"The ranch!" Marcus exclaimed. That was his true birthplace, before he moved to Kakariko. He even had a young foal there that he would soon train to ride one day.

"Then we have no time to lose!" Link determined. "To the ranch!"


	8. Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

7

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

Tinra met them at the entrance to the ranch. "Why do you always disappear whenever we do anything of importance? You said you'd help!" Marcus complained.

Tinra gave a nervous laugh. "Well," she said, "it's amazing how much I really don't know…" Marcus just glared at her. "Hey, I'm here now!"

The three of them entered the ranch, where several Moblins and Skulltulas met them. Link and Marcus drew their swords. This was too easy. Then again, there were so many of them. They sliced one after another, both heroes backing into a separate corner. They were surrounded. They looked at their enemies, thinking about what they could possibly do. The Moblins advanced on them, and the Skulltulas came down from above them. Suddenly, an arrow scattered them. The heroes saw a girl no older than Marcus with a small bow. Link easily recognized it as his bow from his adventure in Termina. The Moblins turned to her, but the duo wouldn't let them get her, who had no more arrows. The enemies were defeated at long last.

"I thank you for your help," the girl did a small bow. Her dark eyes and brown hair reminded Link of that cranky Ingo. That's when she said, "I am Salona Ingo. My father is the owner of this ranch."

Marcus nudged Link, who was standing in shock. "Malon and you move to the village, leaving Mr. Ingo in charge. This is his great-granddaughter."

"Marcus! Hello! I had no idea that you would follow in the footsteps of your grandfather. You're a hero!"

Marcus blushed. "Not yet. I still have a ways to go."

"Where is Ganor? Doesn't he usually come with you to check on Pona?"

Marcus immediately turned serious. "That boy is the cause of all that has happened! He is Ganondorf's own son!"

Salona gasped in shock. "I can't believe it! Pona usually has a good sense of whom to trust. Why couldn't she see that?"

"Okay," Link interrupted. "Who is Pona?"

"Pona is his horse. She has the beautiful coat and great speed of Epona. She comes from a long line of great mares from Epona."

"May we see her?" Marcus asked.

"Of course. Besides, I have a gift for you in the stable. Go ahead through the gate there while I get it."

Link and Marcus went to the central gate. There was no doubt which one was Pona or her mother. They definitely had the beautiful copper coat like Epona. "What is the mare's name?" Link asked, gently stroking the mother.

"Malon, named for the daughter of the ranch's original owner," Marcus replied.

"Malon and Pona. They are as beautiful as Epona."

Marcus hugged the muzzle of the foal. "Your love of horses rubbed off on me."

"I love Epona. Malon was the one that was so fond of all horses. She could calm a wild horse with just her soft singing."

"Epona was a wild horse, wasn't she?"

"At first she was."

Salone returned with a small bottle. "I want to give you this faery. It's for any time you have a tough time on your journey."

"You don't think highly of us?" Link teased.

"What you do is dangerous. Now hurry along, before anyone else is swallowed by this darkness! It seems that there is still a dark cloud above Death Mountain."

"Yes. I suppose that is the last place we must go before we move on to find Ganondorf."

"Good luck to you. Please come back in one piece."

Marcus smiled. "Again you doubt us?"

"We'll be fine," Link assured her.

"Well, good luck, then!" Tinra went over to Salone. "I'll wait here!"

Marcus glared at her once again, but they left.

Through Kakariko Village, the two heroes saw that no one dared leave the safety of home. Their houses really weren't that safe, though. They reached the foot of the mountain. To climb that mountain would take forever. They couldn't just stop at Dodongo's Cavern, they had to go all the way up. Marcus looked at the road in front of them and saw something. He squinted his eyes, peering at the path ahead. Someone was there. "Who is that?"

Link followed his glance. "I can't tell."

"Wait!" Marcus suddenly shouted. "It's Ganor…"


	9. Ganondorf's Pride

Ganondorf's Pride

Ganondorf's Pride

Link and Marcus walked slowly up to Ganor, who was lying on the ground. Link rolled him over to reveal his pained expression. He opened his eyes slightly. "Marcus…" he whispered. Marcus looked down at him, anger on his face. "I'm sorry… I thought… you'd never… trust me… when you heard…" He closed his eyes in pain.

Marcus didn't respond. Link looked at his wounds. "What happened to you?"

"I tried… to stop him…"

Marcus gasped. "You mean Ganondorf?" he looked down at his old friend. "Why?"

"Despite what you two think… I never wished to join him… he was… terrible…"

"You mean you did join him?" Marcus was hateful again.

"Please… Marcus…" Ganor coughed. "Marcus… I… I never wanted to—"

"Don't lie to me, Ganor!" Marcus was furious. "I can't believe you'd even think to team up with him!"

"Marcus—"

"No! I'm not listening to another lie from your lips! It's your fault that this darkness came. It's your fault that Ganondorf is so powerful now!"

"I still have the other part of Din's Triangle…"

"And you were about to use it for evil! It was your birth that triggered the splitting of the triforce!" Ganor was silent. Marcus kicked the dirt beside him, making it land on Ganor. "I don't want to see your face ever again! I hate you, Ganor! I hope you rot out here!"

"Hear me out… Marcus…"

"No! You'll just spit out more lies!"

"I think we should hear his story," Link cut in. "We might be wrong."

"Not exactly…" Ganor admitted. "But I'll tell you everything…"

_I made it as far away as possible. "They know now… They'll never trust me…" I sighed at my problem. "Marcus was my best friend… my only friend… I was rejected from my home in Gerudo Desert just because I was the son of some murderer! Who's to say I'd end up like him?" Soon a chill drifted down my spine. I felt the presence of powerful darkness._

_"Your destiny awaits…" said a deep, evil voice. I felt connected to it. "Your destiny awaits… my son!"_

_"Ganondorf!" I nearly shouted._

_"You are the Prince of Evil! Let the darkness give you strength!" I turned to my father. "You cannot deny the evil within you."_

_I clenched my teeth and tightened my fists. "I will _never_ follow you!"_

_Ganondorf laughed his cruel laugh. "There is darkness within you. Don't fight it. Let it strengthen you."_

_I can't deny that it did indeed strengthen me. I now wasn't sure if I really didn't want to join him. So I followed him._

_He led me to the Market Town. He created firebolts and dark blasts. He was so powerful. But throughout it, I felt my own power drained. He told me to draw my sword and use the dark power within me to destroy something. I found a tree and blasted it with my sword with darkness and fire. It was such power I never imagined I had. I enjoyed it. There was nothing left of the tree after my attack. I knew that I should train with my newfound dark powers._

_I definitely got much better with them. We headed for the castle, and I saw my father destroy it with just a few blasts. "I'll build a brand-new castle when I'm finally King!" he said._

_He was so much stronger than the legends described he used to be. I was amazed. His power was increasing by the second, while all the while, I felt mine was decreasing. It wasn't until we got to the base of Death Mountain that I discovered why. He was slowly taking the power from my piece of the triforce. I thought that it was then or never if I had to stop Ganondorf. I realized that what we have done was terrible. I was not willing to take the evil path anymore. So right then and there, I confronted him._

_"I can't do this anymore," I said. "This evil way, it's terrible! I am not a murderer. I will not follow you!" I drew my sword and began charging power into it._

_Ganondorf turned to me, "You will regret that you ever defied me, boy!" With that he struck me with a huge, dark firebolt and left me there to die._

"That's it…" Ganor finished. "Then, you found me after awhile. I truly tried to stop him… I…" He coughed again and turned to Marcus, whose back was turned. "I understand… if you'll never… forgive me…" He began to gasp for breath. "I'm sorry, Marcus…"

Marcus turned his head and saw his old friend grow limp on Link's arm. "Ganor…" he whispered.

"He truly tried to stop him," Link carefully placed Ganor down. "He just didn't know where his loyalties were. He was torn between his father and… you, his best friend." He stood.

"And in the end…" Marcus felt a lump in his throat, "he chose his best friend…"

Link and Marcus looked down at their fallen comrade. "Ganondorf… We're coming for you… You will pay for all the pain you've caused!"

Marcus kneeled down next to Ganor. "I'm sorry, my friend. I should have forgiven you." He swallowed hard and stood. Something fell from his pocket. It was a small bottle, and inside was a faery. "The faery!"

Link looked at the small winged creature. "I forgot about that! Use it!"

Marcus popped open the bottle and dumped the faery above Ganor. It circled above him. "I hope it's not too late…" Marcus whispered. The faery finished and flew away. Ganor groaned and sat up. "Ganor!" Marcus was overcome with joy. "I do forgive you, my friend!"

Ganor looked up at him and smiled, something Marcus never saw him do. "Thank you," he said. Link and Marcus helped him up.

"Time to go!" Link determined.

"Yeah, up the mountain!" Marcus added.

"I'm with you!" Ganor said.

And again, the trio headed out. Link with the power of the Master Sword, Marcus with the Sage's Sword, and Ganor with his dark blade. They were ready for anything up that mountain. And after that, they'd go after Ganondorf himself.


	10. The Uphill Battles

An Uphill Battle

An Uphill Battle

Ganor was quiet as they climbed. He thought of that single tree that he destroyed. He remembered Ganondorf's destruction of the castle. Why did he ever joint him?

Marcus looked over at his friend. "Please," he said, "don't feel regret. No lives were lost by your hand."

Ganor shook his head. "Lives were lost because I did not stop him when I had the power to."

"You cannot make yourself responsible for that," Link told him. "Ganondorf is unstoppable unless with the Sword of Evil's Bane, which even now cannot kill him."

"That is why we have the Sage's sword," Marcus said to Link.

"But what do I have that will help you?" Ganor drew his sword. "All I have is the very darkness that gives him strength and fire that is nothing compared to his bolts."

"I have a feeling that your power will come in handy," Link looked ahead. "Heads up! We've got company!"

Indeed, several Moblins were up the mountain, them and Deku Babas. There were also giant Moblins that were throwing boulders and archer Moblins with fire arrows. Skulltulas also lined the path, and so did Stalfos. "When you said we had company, I expected at most a few Moblins!" Marcus groaned. "But this is ridiculous!"

"Look out! Mage!" Ganor called. A large magic blast landed by them.

"As if it wasn't bad enough…"

Link charged a spin attack and let it loose on five of the Moblins. Ganor slashed away the Deku Babas with his flaming sword. Marcus stabbed each Skulltula. This was all while dodging boulders, arrows, and magic blasts. It was difficult on the slope as well and soon grew tiresome. Many Moblins and Skulltulas remained still, and they still had not fought the Stalfos. "Marcus, above you!" Ganor called to his friend. By the time Marcus raised his eyes, it was too late. He was hit fully by a magic blast. "Marcus!" Ganor stood up, full of anger at his friend's injury. He ran, now with newfound energy, and jumped to slash the Mage. The Mage saw this attack coming and disappeared, but Ganor spun in the air and blasted the Mage with his own, dark fire magic. The Mage fell with that one attack.

"I told you it would come in handy," Link smiled.

"I'm just glad you're on _our_ side now!" Marcus carefully got up.

"We still have many more enemies."

"Ganor, why don't you take care of those archers and boulder-throwers? You're the only one with long-distance magic."

Ganor nodded, and they continued the fight. Ganor aimed magic blasts up at the attackers above, and Link and Marcus finished off the Moblins, Skulltulas, and Stalfos at their level.

They were finally done. They sat down to catch their breath. They were exhausted, but more Stalfos and Moblins came down to them, as if they heard about their friends' failure.

"We don't have the strength for this…" Link huffed.

"What do we do?" Marcus looked to the approaching enemies. "They'll be here any minute!"

"Warp…" Link dug in his pocket for his orcarina. "We have to get out of here…"

"Right…"

"Heads up!" Ganor pointed to a large bird coming down from the summit.

"What is that?!"

"The one in charge of the darkness here."

The bird gave a long, harsh screech. The trio covered their ears, forgetting about the orcarinas. It dove down and grabbed them with its huge talons. They were taken up to the top of the mountain and thrown there. But they weren't alone.

"I would say that these guys were the babies…" Marcus started, "but they are way too big!"

"I think they are indeed the babies," Link looked up at one. "Who would've thought there'd be a giant nest right at the summit of Death Mountain?" Ganor drew his sword. "Wait, Ganor! If you attack the chicks, the mother is sure to come. We do not want to deal with an angry, giant bird."

"What are we supposed to do?!" Ganor asked.

"I have a plan," Marcus whispered. "The only way out is up. Does it look like these kids are ready to leave the nest?"

"You mean we fly out?"

"Exactly. The mother will be back soon to teach them how to fly. That's when we'll make our escape."

"And if they can't fly…?"

"Uh… never thought of that… I guess we get crushed!" Marcus laughed nervously.

"Great…"

The caw of the bird came, and it snatched the heroes up. "Now where are we going?" Link shouted.

Marcus winced, "I have a bad feeling…"

"Lava!" Ganor called. Sure enough, below them was a large, hot pool of lava. Out of it came a bird much like the one that held them. It was the Daddy.

"I knew it would be bad!"

"I can't grab my sword!" Link struggled.

"Me neither!" Marcus struggled beside him.

A large blast opened the other talon of the bird, and Ganor fell, blasting the talon that held the other two. They fell, but held on to the tail feathers of the female. Ganor continued to drop. "Ganor!" the others called. Soon, he splashed right into the lava. Again he had sacrificed himself for their sake. Only this time, they had no faery.

"You will pay!" Marcus drew his sword and stabbed the bird. With a screech, it began to fly around maniacly. Link let go to land on the male and stabbed his sword into its neck. The bird dropped quickly, and Link jumped up and hung on to the female again. He slashed it, and it screeched and fell.

"Now what?" Link asked as both fell.

"I didn't think it through…" Marcus admitted.

They plummeted towards the lava but landed on hardened magma. "What? I thought for sure there was lava there!" They began to hear a shout and the lava beside them splashed up. Ganor was shooting out of the pool. He looked as if he was a being of the mountain. Then, he absorbed the magma and lava and fell. Link caught him. "Handy powers… like I said."

Ganor struggled to get up. "If only I knew how to control that… But I got a sense of it now…" He breathed hard. "I'm fine. That was just quite a workout," he said upon seeing his friend's worried face.

Link smiled. "I think we're ready to face Ganondorf himself!"

Ganor nodded. "To Termina! That is his next target."

"Alright, then. To Termina."

"Um…" Marcus interrupted. "How do we get out of here?"

"The same way we were going to get off the mountain… before we were so rudely interrupted." Link pulled out his orcarina. "At least I wasn't the one in the lava."

The Prelude of Light rang out at the summit of Death Mountain.


	11. A 'Termina'l Adventure: The Swamp

A 'Termina'l Adventure

A 'Termina'l Adventure: The Swamp

When they returned to the temple, they were greeted by the sages.

"Ruto!" the heroes were glad to see the Zora had made a recovery.

"Yes, I am back," she nodded. "Thank you so much for your help!"

"It seems that the darkness still hasn't been fully destroyed," Rauru stated.

"That is why we must go to Termina to defeat Ganondorf!" Marcus said.

"The terrible things…" Ganor's voice was solemn and regretful again. "He must be stopped…"

"I am glad you are again on our side," Rauru declared. "And your powers will be very important to your adventure, of that I am certain."

"We already proved that," Link smiled and put a hand on Ganor's shoulder. "We'd be dead if it wasn't for this boy!"

Ganor looked down, "It wasn't that great. Besides, I still can't control them!"

"You will learn in time, my boy," Rauru encouraged. "You will learn by the time you must know."

Ganor glanced up at these heroes, these sages, these people who thought so highly of him. His _friends_. He was surprised at the word. All his life, he was shunned by the people in Gerudo Desert. Then he was banished from his home… hated by his family. When he found refuge in Kakariko, he always feared being discovered. Though he tried to seclude himself, Marcus was always there. He was his best friend. Ganor never wanted his secret to be revealed, and now, even when it was, he was still accepted.

Marcus looked over at him, and saw another slight smile. He smiled to himself. Ganor was finally happy. He had never expressed any sign of joy before, and now, surrounded by these friends, he smiled. "Well, what are we waiting for?" Marcus suddenly shouted. "Let's get going to Termina!"

"Right," Link grew serious. "We have no time to lose."

Rauru nodded, "We will transport you to the central clock of Termina. From there, you'll be on your own."

"Very well. Is everyone ready?" A nod from the youths determined it. Soon, they disappeared from the sages' sight.

The clock tower rang out, striking the 17th hour. Link looked around at the familiar sight. "So, now what?" Marcus asked, snapping Link out of his memories.

"Well, if Ganondorf really was trying to take over this place, he would aim for the center: the clock tower."

"You think so? Aren't there, like, four different areas here?"

"That's true. He might have went to each… Alright, where should we start? The ocean, the mountain, the swamp, or the canyon?"

"Which do you recommend?"

"The swamp was the easiest in my adventure."

"The swamp it is!"

And with that, they headed south.

"This is the swamp?" Marcus looked at the barren land. "It doesn't look like it has rained in years!"

"Great, as if drying up Zora's Domain wasn't enough, he had to dry up the swamp as well," Link said. Then, he suddenly remembered, "The Dekus!"

"Dekus?"

"We have to get to their palace! Follow me! And hurry!"

They ran to the kingdom and saw the guards, shriveled up. "Are you guys alright?"

"The… young prince… has been… kidnapped…" one guard stated weakly.

"The prince?" Link asked. Of course, many years have passed since he was here, the princess probably had a son in that time. "We'll rescue him. Who took him?"

"He was different from the last one…" the second guard told them. "He was… like a shadow…"

"A shadow?"

"With horns…" added the first one.

Link thought for awhile. A shadow with horns? Why did that description seem familiar to him? "We'll bring him back, don't worry. Where did he take him?"

"Woodfall Temple, again…"

"Will you guys be alright?" Marcus questioned.

"Yes, but you must rescue the young prince…" the second guard answered.

The heroes were hesitant, but left for the temple. They were immediately greeted by two Skulltulas. They were easy to defeat, so they continued into the temple. They entered a room that was crowded with Snappers. "Watch out! These guys can get pretty nasty…" Link warned. Sure enough, they all spun towards them.

"Yikes! How do we get away?" Marcus panicked.

Just then, Ganor focused his dark energy and slashed his sword, causing beams of darkness to fly out and blast the Snappers backwards.

"That works…" Link stared, amazed.

"Let's go… before they get back up!" Marcus pleaded.

"No need," Ganor said simply. He charged again and did the same thing, destroying each of them with just that second blow.

"Well, then, let's continue…" Link told them.

They ended up in a dark room. A single flame could be seen in front of them. It moved. Someone, or something, was holding it. The trio had their swords ready. Immediately, Marcus was slashed with a sharp blade. He cried out and turned towards the attacker. He began to swing his sword rapidly, trying to hit his enemy. His sword hit something, and he heard a monster cry out. Then, the torch in the distance was thrown at them, lighting up dry grasses and causing a big fire. The heroes were then able to see three Dinalfos: one in the distance that was holding the torch, one beside Marcus, who had attacked him, and one by the wall on the side. The fire was spreading quickly, almost cornering Link, Marcus, and Ganor. Ganor tried to absorb all the fire into his sword. Meanwhile, Marcus finished off the Dinalfo beside him. Ganor gave up on absorbing the flame because it was spreading faster than he could get it. So, instead, he controlled the flames to hit the far Dinalfo. It was destroyed quickly, and Link was able to go towards the third enemy. After he destroyed it, he beckoned the others over. They went into the next room, escaping the flames behind them.

"That was close…" Marcus huffed. "Too close…"

Link caught his breath and looked ahead of them. "We're not nearly finished…"

The other two looked where he was looking. Ahead of them were two Snappers and one Dinalfo. "As if we didn't face enough Dinalfos to begin with!" Marcus sighed.

"Just don't provoke those Snappers again…"

Ganor stepped forward. He released the fire he had charged at the Dinalfo. It burnt to ashes, but the Snappers weren't provoked. "There. Now we only have to worry about those turtles."

"You never cease to amaze me, Ganor."

"Alright, any suggestions?" Marcus asked. "How are we supposed to go about attacking them?"

"Right. Ganor, you've used enough of your power. Who knows? We might need it soon, and you can't control it perfectly yet. So we'll take care of these." Ganor nodded. "Okay, here's the plan: we have to get rid of these guys before we go through that door. Your sword has to have powers from the sages, Marcus. Try something to flip them over or something…"

Marcus slashed his sword, hoping that some magic energy would come out. Luckily, it did, hitting one of the Snappers and flipping it over, just like they hoped. He did the same for the second one, and Link went up to them and slashed them.

"Mission accomplished! Time to go through!" Marcus exclaimed.

They went through the door and saw the young Deku in a cage in the far corner. In front of them was the familiar shadow that Link recognized immediately. It was Phantom Ganon. "Great… it's you…" he sighed.

The three of them were ready. The enemy formed the energy ball and it went to Link, who was in the center. Link hit it back perfectly, and it was hit to Marcus. He missed and was hit. The phantom laughed. "I'm fine… sorry…"

"Don't worry. It takes awhile to get used to sometimes."

The phantom's first attack was on Ganor this time, but it was returned perfectly. He hit it to Marcus, and this time he didn't fail. Ganor was next again and returned it. The last one was hit to Link, who quickly struck it. Phantom Ganon was finally hit and the three of them went up and struck him as many times as they could. Then, the whole cycle repeated itself.

When they finally defeated him, he dropped the key to the cage. Link picked it up and freed the young prince. "Thank you, mister!" the little Deku exclaimed gratefully.

They walked back through the temple and returned to the kingdom. It was raining again as well, showing that they did indeed succeed. The other Dekus were happy to see their prince again, and the heroes left for their next challenge.


	12. A 'Termina'l Adventure: The Mountain

A 'Termina'l Adventure: The Mountain

A 'Termina'l Adventure: The Mountain

At the edge of the swamp, the trio heard the clock tower from the center of the town. It struck the 19th hour. "Where to next?" Marcus asked Link.

"The mountain," he answered. "That was my next stop. It's north of the town. So let's go."

The heroes went through the town and north to the mountain. "Um, something tells me that this is not what it's supposed to be like up here," Marcus said, seeing the mountain, which was like a volcano.

"What happened here? How did he turn Snowhead into a volcano? This is even worse than Death Mountain!"

Ganor looked upon the view in front of them angrily. "The inhabitants here…" he started.

"That's right!" Marcus realized. "The race living here would not be used to the heat, let alone the scorching lava!"

"The Gorons!" Link panicked. "Hurry, we have to check on them!"

They ran to the base of the mountain. There was a huge group of Gorons. "Phew, they're alright…"

"Hey, how are you guys?"

"Great Hero, our Brother!" the Gorons cheered.

"I'm touched you remember me from so long ago…"

"Please, help us again, Brother…" a Goron pleaded.

"What?"

"Our elder, Brother, he's trapped!"

"Who is responsible?"

"A terrible monster, Brother. One we've never seen before!"

"Well, are you up for it?"

"Of course!" Marcus cheered, determined. "We have to save them!"

"Ganondorf will pay for what he's done!" Ganor added.

Link nodded, "Then it's settled." He turns to the mountain. "Let's head in!"

Going into the cavern of Snowhead was like entering an oven. Marcus and Link could barely breath in the heat. "Let me go," Ganor suggested.

"What?" Link was shocked at his suggestion.

"No way!" Marcus shook his head. "We go as a team!"

"I'm the only one who can withstand this heat," Ganor told them. "You two are exhausted just breathing. Let me go through. I'll be fine on my own. After all, you two were without me for awhile, so now I must make things even again."

"Ganor," Link stopped him. "It's going to be dangerous. I have no idea what this area has in store!"

"Then I will discover that myself."

They realized that they wouldn't be able to change his mind, so they left him to go through alone. Ganor turned to the path in front of him. _I can't let them down. This is the first time anyone had ever put their trust in me like this._ He drew his blade. _Alright, whoever's responsible for this, I'm coming for you!_

He proceeded through the cavern, which was extremely bright due to the lava and fire, and tried to absorb some of the flame. He knew that he had to learn how to control his powers, and this was the perfect chance.

Keese flew down at him, and he released the energy, causing an explosion-like burst that burnt every Keese to ashes. He breathed hard. He used too much energy. He stopped to catch his breath and continued. _It's now or never… I have to figure out this power!_

Two Stalfos blocked the path ahead. He charged power of fire into his sword, and then sliced it through the air, creating a cutter of that element that struck the two enemies, easily destroying them. He nodded to himself. _That was it. That is my power._

He proceeded to a room filled with Torch Slugs. Knowing he couldn't fight fire with fire, he took a deep breath and prepared himself. _It's time for me to use the dark power._ He didn't know what would happen if he couldn't control this power, but he had to try. He closed his eyes and focused. He held his sword straight up in front of him and visualized all his dark energy going to it. When he felt he was done, he opened his eyes, jumped up, and slashed his sword down, landing with it to the ground. A wave of dark energy radiated from it, striking every slug and destroying them without a trace. When he saw there was nothing left, it reminded him of all the things he destroyed while following Ganondorf. He shook his head, _How can darkness be used for good? It just isn't in its nature… is it? Has this journey been a mistake? Is this truly my destiny?_ He closed his eyes again. He thought about Marcus and Link… and their trust. _No. _He opened his eyes. _I will use my powers to stop my father! I can't give in to evil. I must prove that darkness doesn't have to be evil. It's a powerful ability, and I will use it to stop evil._ He stood and went on to the next room.

Ganor entered a room filled with lava ankle deep. "Well, well…" a roar echoed through the room. "I didn't think anyone would dare come to save this poor old Goron!"

Ganor looked up and saw the elder Goron trapped on the other side of the room. He couldn't jump because of the lava. "Who's there?!" Ganor called. "Show yourself!"

A huge Minotaur-looking beast fell from above him into the lava, causing a huge splash. "I am amazed that you can withstand the heat, let alone this lava!"

"I am flattered," Ganor said sarcastically. "But I am here to take that elder back to his people and to destroy you!"

"Such big words for a small human!"

"Trust me, I can back them up." Ganor began to charge his dark energy.

"We'll see about that."

Ganor ran to him and slashed his sword. The beast jumped, causing both the blade and the energy to miss him. He landed behind Ganor and punched him into the far wall. Ganor struggled to get up and grabbed his sword. Panting, he tried to figure out a plan. He charged again, but this time when he ran, he jumped and struck, hitting the monster's stomach.

"Well done, boy," the monster put his hand on his wound. "But that barely hurt."

Ganor breathed heavily, still sore from his crash into the wall. "There's plenty more where that came from."

"Too bad you won't be able to show me!" The Minotaur roared loudly and jumped up. He landed hard, pounding the ground with his fist. There was another splash and Ganor flew up and right into the cavern wall again.

He hit it hard and blacked out for a second. He weakly tried to get up, but he couldn't. He lay there, face down in the lava. _Marcus, Link, I'm sorry… I… failed… you…_ He closed his eyes.

_"Hey, Ganor!"_

_"What's up, Marcus?"_

_"Do you think that someday I could be a hero like my grandfather?"_

_"Yeah… I think so… It is in your blood after all…"_

_"Hey! Maybe you'll be a hero too! I'll let you be my sidekick, okay?"_

_"Uh… sure…"_

He groaned. Even when they were younger, Marcus was aware of the power in Ganor's presence. He couldn't let him down… not now… not after he told him that he would be fine. He got up, "I… will… win… if… it's… the… last… thing… I… do!"

"Ha!" the monster laughed. "Pathetic weakling!"

Ganor put his hands on his knees, barely holding himself up. His sword was on the ground, submerged in the lava. He realized that the lava was now halfway up his calf. He looked down, shocked. "The lava…"

"Ha, ha, ha! Yes! It is rising! You are timed, young warrior! Soon, the lava will be up to that old fool!"

"No…" Ganor tried to absorb the lava, but he was too weak. He closed his eyes, focusing his dark power to his hands. He opened his eyes and saw that a dark flame had formed in his palms. He looked up at the beast, who still seemed amused. With a cry he ran to him and pushed the dark flame into his last wound.

"Argh!" The Minotaur fell backwards. "How dare you, you cursed boy!" Ganor flipped backwards to his sword, grabbed it, and ran to the monster, striking it several times in the same area. Soon, though, the beast grabbed him, and threw him against the wall. But this time, he was ready. He kicked off the wall and landed safely with a splash. "Well, well. You've certainly improved over a short time!"

Ganor looked up at him. "I'm not finished with you yet!" The beast glared at him with his pale yellow eyes. Ganor charged dark power into his sword and slashed downwards. This time, a ball of dark energy flew across to the monster. It was too quick to dodge and the Minotaur flew backwards against the wall. _Such power!_ Ganor stared down at his blade. _I've done it! I've finally learned to control it!_ He walked up to his enemy, who was groaning and rubbing his head. "You're finished… you cursed beast!" With charged energy, he struck down into the monster's wounds, right through his stomach. The darkness from the blade vaporized it. The battle was over.

The lava drained out, disappearing, and the elder Goron came down. "Thank you, Brother!" he exclaimed gratefully.

Catching his breath, Ganor replied, "It was nothing. Now, let us get back to your home."

As they went back through, they saw the ice and snow return. When they came out, the Gorons, Link, and Marcus were there to greet them. "You did it!" Marcus cheered.

Ganor simply nodded. "My powers are under my control now."

"Good job!" Link praised.

Ganor smiled, which made Marcus and Link smile as well, knowing that that was a rare thing. He was glad that he lived up to his friends' expectations. It was good that he didn't give up.

The Gorons cheered. After thanking Ganor, they went back home.

"Well, then," Marcus stated, "two down, two to go!"


	13. A 'Termina'l Adventure: The Bay

A 'Termina'l Adventure: The Bay

A 'Termina'l Adventure: The Bay

"You don't really expect us to go _there_, do you?" Marcus trembled upon looking at the ocean to the west.

"We must, but I have a feeling this will be tougher than the battle at Zora's Domain," Link responded.

Ganor just glared at the troubles ahead, without saying a word. All of his opinions were in his mind… _What have you done to this place, father? Why do you insist on these evil ways? Still, nothing will stop us, Ganondorf!_ He narrowed his eyes.

"Whoa," Marcus put an arm on his shoulder. "Cool down buddy! I can literally see the fire burning in your eyes!"

"Unless it's just a reflection of the trail ahead," Link said. Indeed, the path ahead had no water. Instead it was covered in flame. "Well, we can't just stand here. Let's go."

"Don't tell me it's going to be like the Mountains were!"

"No, the flames are only here. Further on is the Bay, water and all," Ganor stated.

"Whoa, how'd you do that?"

"I can sense the fire."

"Wow. Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Link smiled at this change of heart, "Alright."

They all stared at the flame wall. Ganor stepped forward and closed his eyes. Raising his hands straight in front of him, he moved them outward. Amazingly, the flame wall moved as well, creating an opening. The heroes passed through, and it closed behind them. Ahead, they could clearly see the ocean.

"There's… nothing wrong…" Marcus was confused, as well as the others. Why didn't Ganondorf change this place as he did the others?

"On the contrary," Ganor disagreed. "Everything is wrong!"

"What?"

"Why wouldn't Ganondorf change this place? That's what's wrong!"

"I see where you're coming from, but," Link nodded, "this place seems as peaceful as ever."

"Wait," Marcus looks up. "What is that?"

"Huh? What the…!"

Above them was a floating land. "That is our problem," Ganor declared. "I have a bad feeling…" Just then, a scream was heard above them, coming from that land.

"Oh, no!" Marcus shouted. "What are we supposed to do?"

Link thought a moment. "We have to get up there, that's for sure. No doubt that's where our enemy hides. The question is: how?"

"That piece of land is higher than the Mountains even! There's no way we can get up there!"

"I will help you," a young voice speaks behind them. They turned and their eyes were met with a young Zora girl. She was a peculiar indigo color with sky blue eyes that shown with sadness and hopelessness.

"What can _you_ do?" Ganor scowled at the girl.

She gestured to a small hut on the beach. "Come with me."

Ganor was skeptical, but the heroes followed. Inside was a canon that was more than big enough to launch them all.

"You must be joking," Marcus just blinked.

"It's been done before," Link stated.

"I will join you," the Zora girl told them. "Go on in."

"I refuse," Marcus shuddered.

"Come on," Link grabbed his arm and pulled him into the barrel of the canon. "It's painless."

The girl lit the rope attached to it and jumped in with the trio. It fired, blasting them upward, straight to the floating land.

"Marcus! It's over! You can open your eyes now!" Link pulled him to his feet.

"That was the craziest thing I've ever heard of!" Marcus complained.

Link just shook his head. "I don't think this adventure really helped your courage at all."

Marcus jerked up. "You're… You're right…"

"No, I didn't mean—"

"No, you're right. I have to be brave! We're about to fight Ganondorf, and I'm afraid to be blasted into the sky by a harmless canon!"

"With good reason. You didn't know."

"Trust me, Link! By the end of this, I'll be the hero I was meant to be! No more cowardly ways! No more wimping out! I'm ready for anything!"

"Well that's good," Ganor interrupted, "because we've got company!"

"What are those things?"

"I've never seen them before," Link admitted.

"They are what have been taking the Zoras up here," the young girl told them. "They are called Windels. Beware of their sharp claws!"

"You don't have to tell us," Ganor sneered. He drew his sword and charged fire into it.

"Wait! Fire doesn't affect them! They have water _and_ wind attributes!"

But it was too late. The fire was released but immediately canceled out by the water the Windel sprayed. It shot straight to Ganor. He blocked it with his arms, sliding backwards slightly.

"Ganor, are you alright?" Marcus asked.

"I told you," the girl whispered.

"Yeah, way too late!" Ganor yelled.

"Stop it," Link stepped in front of Ganor. "But if you must, take your anger out on the Windels!"

"Come on, sword," Marcus held his sword with both hands. "Let's see what power you've got!" He slashed downward, releasing light energy that blasted one Windel, making him fall to the ground and vaporize. "Yes!" He repeated with the rest.

"Good job. That went quickly enough. Now let's proceed."

"Sure, the round is ours now," the girl stated. "But those enemies are far from depleted."

"Can't you be optimistic?" Marcus patted her on the head.

"Huh?"

"This is good, girlie, so don't be all hopeless."

She frowned. "My name is Ryla, not girlie!"

"I, for one, don't think it makes a difference," Ganor declared.

"Grr…"

"Come on, Ganor," Marcus said. "Don't be like that."

Ganor just grunted. Meanwhile, the team went on across the land.

All of the Windels were defeated easily the same way as the first time. They really didn't have any challenge until they entered a place of mighty winds. "The…wind…here…is…too…" Marcus's words were smothered by the wind.

"The only way to the other side is through this wind," Ryla shouted over the breeze.

"There must be another way!" Link called.

"There is not."

An evil laugh was heard over the wind. "There is _one_ way… but it involves a different destination." The laugh sounded again. The four of them looked up and saw a winged man armed with two swords.

"How is he withstanding these winds?" Link asked.

"You fool! I am the one creating them!"

"Then prepare to fall!" Marcus shouted.

The laugh came again as the winged man landed. "You really are foolish!" He spun one of his swords and a gust of wind came from them, hitting Ryla. She flew up and landed hard. "Pathetic! The wind rules all!"

Ryla struggled to her feet. "No, I won't let you, you evil man!"

He laughed again. "You can't stop me!"

"Leave the fight to us, Ryla!" Link told her. He drew his sword. Though it was hard, he ran up to the man and slashed, only to have his attack dodged.

"Missed me, fool!"

_How do we defeat an enemy who has total control of the wind?_ Link turned to the man.

"By striking him with the power of water!" Ryla formed a blue sphere between her palms and released it at the man. He was blasted back.

"Wait, how did you know what I was thinking?" Link's eyes were wide.

"That matters not! Use the power of the great waters!" A huge tidal wave formed and hit the enemy hard. "The element that rivals the wind is the water. That is why the evil man changed this region like this!"

Marcus nodded. "Alright, Sage of Water, Ruto, lend me your powers!" he said and slices his sword through the air and waves of water blasted out, hitting the man.

"Great! So that's the power that the Sage's Sword possesses!" Link looked at the man. "Now, it's my turn!" He ran up and stabbed him. The man vaporized, and the wind calmed.

That was it, and the heroes and Ryla continued on.

They made it to a tower. "That is where our great enemy waits," Link determined. "I'm sure of it!"

They went inside and were indeed greeted by the enemy, a hybrid between a Zora and a winged creature. "I was wondering when you'd finally get here…"

The heroes prepared themselves. "I promised courage by the end of this, so bring it on, tough guy!" Marcus cried.

The hybrid smirked. "As you wish. My first target however…" he turned to Ryla, "…is you!"

Ryla gasped as a cyclone was aimed at her. She closed her eyes, frozen in fear. "Don't just stand there!" she heard Ganor's voice. "Look out!" This time, it was closer. She opened her eyes, and he pushed her aside, taking the full blown attack. He was blown back and hit hard against the stone wall.

"Hmp! That idiotic boy. Why would he sacrifice himself for your sake?"

Ryla just stared at Ganor, who was unconscious and badly hurt against the wall. "You… you will pay… _You will pay!!_" She turned to the hybrid with anger in her eyes. With a cry, she began to grow, transforming into a huge beast of the sea. Many tentacles sprouted from her and crab-like claws grew from her arms.

"What? No! You can't be…!"

"I am afraid that you have been choosing the wrong Zoras to kidnap!" Ryla's voice was now harsher, raspier, and deeper. She had completely transformed.

"Who is she?" Marcus stared up at the monster.

"From the moment I saw her, I knew she was peculiar," Link stated. "Come on, we have to help her fight!"

Ryla whacked the enemy with one of her tentacles, making him hit the ground, ready for the sword slashes of Marcus and Link. Ryla then finished him with an arrow-shaped water blast. It was actually much easier than Zora's Domain, but only because of Ryla.

Ryla returned to her original form and fell, weakened. Then, the land shook, falling back to the land below. The two heroes protected Ganor and Ryla from the falling tower and ran out of there.

They were back on the beach, and Ryla began to wake up. "I… I am sorry…" she whimpered.

"Sorry?" Link asked. "You saved us out there!"

"No… I was not able to save your friend." Marcus was kneeling over Ganor. "He hated me…so much… I never knew that he would…"

"No, it wasn't hatred. It's just who he is. He may not have much respect for Zoras or Kokiris simply because he is a Gerudo, but I assure you, he never truly hated you."

"I wish I would have known that. Then, I might have been able to stop him…"

"He'll be fine…" Marcus barely whispered, still staring down at his friend. "He's gotten through tougher attacks than that! I know he'll wake up…" But the tears that were forming in his eyes said the opposite.

"It is all my fault…"

"No…" Ganor struggled to say. "It isn't…" He sat up weakly. "Don't blame yourself."

"Ganor!" Ryla ran and hugged her new hero.

Marcus and Link chuckled as Ganor pushed her off him. "Come on… We have one more area before we face Ganondorf himself!"

"Right," Link nodded. "Thanks again, Ryla."

"Good-bye, my heroes! I shall never forget you!" She waved, joined by the other Zoras.


	14. A 'Termina'l Adventure: The Canyon

A 'Termina'l Adventure: The Canyon

A 'Termina'l Adventure: The Canyon

"The canyon, huh? Is that really it?" Marcus asked Link as the heroes passed through Clock Town once again. This time, the clock struck the 23rd hour.

Link nodded, "It's our last stop before we get to Ganondorf himself."

"Why don't we just storm in on Ganondorf now?!"

"That would be foolish," Ganor answered immediately. "We must first save these areas around Clock Town and see what we're up against. Besides, it is better that we ruin Ganondorf's plans for these four areas."

"Ganor is right," Link agreed. "The canyon is this way."

"Is this… a graveyard?" Marcus whispered.

"Come on, Marcus, don't tell me you're scared already."

"No… not at all…"

Link smirked but continued. The three of them reached a cave. "I don't remember this being here…"

"That's bad, right?"

"No, I think that just means our search for Ganondorf's minions is that much easier."

They proceeded into the darkness, wishing they had brought a lantern. "It's cold in here, and what kind of canyon is this?"

"This graveyard is at the mouth of the canyon."

After a few steps in silence, Ganor cried out, "Ice Keese above us!"

The trio turned their heads upward and saw the blue of the Keese. Ganor fired a flame ball at one, and it fell. Marcus helped with the others by the power of Darunia, the Sage of Fire.

When all the Keese were defeated, they continued deeper into the cavern.

"Why is it that in every adventure, I always find myself in some sort of cave?" Link wondered aloud.

"Usually you have a lantern…" Marcus mumbled.

"Why don't you use Rauru's power? He is the Sage of Light."

Marcus put up his sword and whispered to Rauru. Light immediately shone from the blade. "Yes! Alright, now we know where we're going."

"And not a moment too soon." Link pointed to the cliff in front of them.

"A cliff in a cave?"

The heroes looked down to the other side. "It used to be a Zora's graveyard." Link determined, noticing the frozen pond below. "That is what this cavern is for."

"So we've reached a dead-end?"

Link peered down into the shadows below. "Something's down there."

"What?"

"I don't know, but I do know that we have to find out." Link began to climb down the wall. Marcus and Ganor followed. "Who's there?!"

They then saw something they never thought they'd see again. "How did you…?" Marcus could barely ask.

The tall creature turned to them, and their suspicions were confirmed. It was the hybrid winged Zora from the Bay. "Well, well. It seems we're both shocked to see each other. Especially since I was so sure I got rid of you, young desert boy!"

Ganor narrowed his eyes at him. The enemy merely smirked. "Hey! Freak!" Marcus had his sword at the ready. "We beat you once, we can beat you again!"

It was as if that was the battle cry. The heroes charged in at the hybrid, who flew up to avoid their swings. He thrust his hand into the ice, which shattered, making the heroes plummet into the cold water. Marcus called upon Ruto's power and created a whirlpool that created a piece of dry land at the depths of the deep pond. Landing there, Ganor shot up a powerful dark-fire flame. It hit the hybrid, making him fall into the water. Soon, it began to freeze again, threatening to trap the trio. Ganor charged as much energy as he could into his sword and released it in an explosion of fire that he was careful wouldn't hit his friends. The ice melted and evaporated because of the intense heat.

"No!" the hybrid cried. "You fool!" He was standing on the newly evaporated surface now, in perfect position for Link's attack. Light shown from the slice caused by the Master Sword, and he was defeated.

"I didn't think we'd see him again," Link said as he and the others climbed up the cliff.

They began to head out of the cave. When they got out, they saw their next challenge in front of them. It was the Minotaur that Ganor had faced in the mountains. Around him was a ring of fire, surrounding the heroes as well.

Ganor glared at his old enemy, "Didn't you learn your lesson when I destroyed you?"

"I'm standing here, therefore, you can't really say that you destroyed me," the Minotaur replied with an attitude.

"Watch it, Ugly!" Marcus chimed in. "Because now you have to deal with all three of us!"

"I don't take that as much of a threat coming from you runts."

Marcus charged at him, only to be hit backwards by his huge hand. "Be careful!" Ganor called to his friend. He recognized this battle plan from when he battled the beast. He saw that the wound on his stomach was no longer there. This was sure to be a tough battle.

Link prepared a spin attack and advanced to the beast. He released, spinning but missing every hit. Ganor, meanwhile, charged his dark magic into his sword. Link tried slashing again but was mainly dodging the giant beast's fists. Marcus had gotten up and was now charging Rauru's light magic. He released it, and it hit the Minotaur in the back. With a cry, the monster turned, glaring at his attacker. That gave Link the chance to perform a jump attack, hitting the beast's side. Then, Ganor ran with his blade covered in shadows and sliced it through the enemy. The Minotaur fell, defeated. All three of them jumped up and stabbed him straight down his back. He was then destroyed.

"I think I know what's coming next," Marcus whispered, breathing hard from his hit in the last battle.

"Phantom Ganon…" Link predicted.

Right on cue, there was the laugh of the shadowed being, and the next battle began immediately. Phantom Ganon fired three energy orbs, each hit by each hero. When he reflected it though, they doubled. The trio could only hit one each, and the others burst and hit each of them. Already exhausted from the previous fights, they knew they couldn't handle it if they kept multiplying. Still, it doubled again. Link attempted a spin attack, but it fell short of both. Ganor and Marcus continued just hitting one, and they dodged the remnants of the others. This time, the quantity tripled and was very fast. Each hero was able to return one but was easily hit by the remaining ones. The Phantom was also hit, and the trio sliced him as many times as they could. Then, the process started over again, weakening them even more. Again, they were able to return each and strike their enemy. With a cry, after the third time, Phantom Ganon vanished, finally defeated. The heroes caught their breath and looked on towards Clock Town. It seemed like a storm was forming just above the tower. The group knew that they had no time to lose, so they went on towards their final destination, ready to confront Ganondorf.


	15. The End is Near

The End is Near

The End is Near

They returned to Clock Town at the strike of midnight, the 24th hour. Ganondorf, as if he foresaw their arrival, was standing in front of Clock Tower. His presence was dark, and they could sense him there from the entrance of Clock Town.

"I was wondering if you'd ever come," Ganondorf smirked. "I was beginning to worry."

"Your minions were easy to get by!" Marcus called, but it was obvious that he was lying. The heroes were still weak from their last battle.

"You are foolish to challenge me when you are obviously weak!" Ganondorf laughed. "But now that you have, I accept!"

"We never actually challenged you…" Marcus began.

"Coming here was challenging me, fool. Now you will finally be destroyed! And by destroying you, Hero of Time, I would be destroying the past!"

"We have to win," Link whispered, "or he'll prevail…"

"You have caused too much fear and troubles," Ganor stated. "Now, you will pay for all you've done!"

"Ha! Like I should be frightened of you, boy!" Ganondorf scoffed at his son. "You are a mere shadow of me, the great Dark Lord!"

"We'll see about that!"

"Then enough talking!" Marcus drew his sword. "The evil ends here!"

The others drew their swords as well and Ganondorf confronted them. He began with a firebolt, which they all dodged. Then, he swung his own sword at Marcus, who barely jumped away. Ganor ran to him, charging fire and darkness into his sword, only to be countered by Ganondorf's own powers. Unable to match it, he flew backwards, but immediately stood. Link then went in to attack with his Master Sword, but a firebolt came down on him. Ganondorf began to raise his sword to strike the fallen hero, but Marcus struck him from behind. He turned and swung at Marcus, who shielded the blow with his sword, in which he packed light energy from Rauru. Ganor came up beside his father and attacked with his darkness and fire, causing Ganondorf to fall to his knee, but only for a split second. He, charging energy into his own sword, struck his sword into the ground, causing a wave of dark and fire energy to radiate from it. All three heroes were blown backwards from this blow.

"Do you really expect to win this battle?" Ganondorf laughed again. "You are weak!"

"He must… pay… for all he's… done…" Marcus struggled to his feet.

Ganor and Link rose as well, agreeing whole-heartedly with Marcus. Marcus charged light energy within his sword, and Ganor charged darkness into his. They released at the same time, causing them to blend together into a golden-gray blast, which hit Ganondorf, making him fly backwards. Ganor and Marcus looked at each other and nodded. That was his weakness. Meanwhile, Link was slashing him with the Master Sword.

They now had a plan, but it was going to be tough to repeat it. Now that Ganondorf saw it, he would be ready to avoid it or, worse, counter it. Plus, they were still weak.

The youths charged their swords again, in the same manner. Knowing that they had to change it, instead of releasing it, they ran up to Ganondorf and struck him with their swords crossed. Link followed up with another slash of his Master Sword.

"You haven't won yet!" Ganondorf cried. It was then that he transformed into his beast form. He was terrifying. He roared loudly and swung his claw at the team, who were all hit against the ground. They lay there for awhile, but then finally found the strength to stand.

They definitely needed a new plan. In his beast form, Ganondorf was stronger and more immune to harm. Then again, he was a bigger target, much bigger. Ganor tried charging fire into his blade. He charged as much as he could, making it burn with a huge, bright flame. Marcus did the same with his.

While they were charging, Link tried to slash at the beast, but he countered and hit him away again, knocking the Hero of Time unconscious. The other two knew that they had to strike then, before Link was killed. They ran to the beast and stabbed him on both sides of his back. Ganondorf roared in pain and turned to the two of them. They stood strong, charging their swords again with light and darkness. Link finally came to and was able to distract Ganondorf while the others blasted him with the golden-gray blast once again. The beast slid back. It roared in pain, and Ganondorf returned to his true form.

Actually, it wasn't really his _true_ form. It was a larger version of it and no doubt more powerful. This time, he didn't hold his sword, but slammed the ground with his palm, causing waves of dark energy and fire to ripple out again. The heroes were blasted backwards.

"Who should be first to go?" Ganondorf wondered aloud. "Well, definitely the Hero of Time. After all, without you, this future wouldn't even exist!" He turned towards Link, who was trying to sit up.

"Link, look out!" Ganor yelled. Ganondorf raised his palm to blast him with whatever magic he would. Link struggled to get up. Ganondorf blasted a dark flame out of his palm. "Link!"

Link slashed his sword through the blast. "What?!" Ganondorf was shocked. "How did you…?"

Link seemed just as amazed as he looked down at his blade, which was glowing with the power to repel evil. The magic had returned to his sword. He got up, smiling at his new advantage. Ganondorf took a step back. "Looks like your power is weakening," Link told him, walking slowly to him. "And mine has returned."

"Stay back! You can't hurt me with the mere power of that anyway!"

"What about all of us?" Marcus stood, along with Ganor. They began charging their light and dark energy.

With one final blast, Ganondorf fell to his knees and Link sliced through him with the Master Sword. Ganondorf shone with a bright light from the final attack and vanished. He was defeated. He would never come back this time.

"It's over…" Link huffed.

"Finally…" Marcus nodded.

The next morning, the heroes awoke from the Clock Town inn and set off back to Hyrule. It was a long walk, but when they finally got there, the view wasn't worth it. The darkness was still there, and it was right above the Temple of Time.

"What's going on?" Marcus asked. "We've defeated Ganondorf!"

"He wasn't the one causing the darkness…" Link determined.

"Then who?" Ganor questioned.

"And what about the people who were pulled into the darkness?" Marcus added.

Link shook his head, "Our answers lie at the Temple."

Tinra flew over to the heroes. "Thank the goddesses you have returned!" she cried.

"Tinra, what's going on?"

"The great evil has revealed itself."

"What great evil?"

"The one causing this darkness. The second half of the Triforce of Wisdom!"

Link and Marcus remembered how the sages told them that the Triforce had split again. They had forgotten about the other Wisdom Triangle.

"Then this evil is the dark half of the princess's Triforce?" Ganor asked.

"Not just that," Tinra began, "but the princess's piece of the Triforce was weak, so she was taken into the darkness. Now that she's gone, only this part of the Triforce of Wisdom remains."

"So it'll be tough," Link determined, "because Ganondorf didn't have the entirety of his Triforce's power, but this enemy does."

"True," Ganor nodded. "But now I have the entirety of the Triforce of Power because Ganondorf is gone. So it is two against one."

Tinra spoke again, "You must destroy this new evil. Only through his defeat will this darkness clear."

"Then we must get to the Temple of Time!" Link called.

The heroes went across the field to the drawbridge and across into the Market Town. This was it, the final battle.


	16. The Final Showdown

The Final Showdown

The Final Showdown

The heroes ran through the frightened crowd, up to the Temple of Time. Clouds of darkness were surrounding it. The three entered the Temple, and saw their enemy for the first time. His back was to them, and all they could see was his black hood and cape. When he sensed their presence, the being turned, revealing dark violet eyes within the shadows of his hood.

"You are the cause of all this…" Marcus began to draw his sword. Suddenly, he froze as if time had completely stopped.

The creature's eyes narrowed, and Marcus was blown backwards. There was no doubt now what was going on. This being had way more power than imaginable.

"How are we supposed to fight an enemy who can do that without even lifting a finger?!" Marcus cried, struggling to his feet.

The hooded enemy flew upward, his cape flowing outward. A huge wave of energy flew out of him, knocking the trio back against the walls. "We haven't…even pulled…out our swords…yet…" Link stood slowly. "And we're already behind…"

"Does anyone have a plan?"

Link drew his sword. "We'll take it as it comes."

"But—"

"If we fail now, all of Hyrule will be in danger!"

"And so would the past… without you…"

"We fight… until the last drop of blood falls!"

"To the end!"

The trio ran toward the caped being, but it evaded their attack, floating over them. It unleashed another wave of energy, but the heroes jumped over it. All they could do was attack with their weak blades. Nothing seemed to be working.

"This is hopeless!" Marcus cried.

"We can't give up now," Link shook his head. "To the end… to the end…"

"My sword must have more power than this!" Marcus cried. "Sages of Hyrule, hear my plea! Give this sword your power!" The sword began to glow. "That's it!" He ran to the cloaked enemy and slashed. The creature fell backward. It had worked. He tried another slice, but the creature threw an orb of dark magic that hit Marcus right in the stomach. With a gasp, he fell, collapsing in front of the creature.

"Marcus!" Ganor shouted. Marcus lay there, limp… lifeless. Ganor stood up with fury. He threw his sword aside and picked up Marcus's, which had slid near him when his friend fell.

"Calm down, Ganor," Link whispered, "or you will be blinded by your anger."

But Ganor ignored him. With a cry, he ran to the shadow, slicing Marcus's sword through the air continuously. Each strike hit and weakened the enemy, but then, he was held by dark rings, unable to move his body. The creature blasted him backwards, against the wall. He hit it and fell forward, limply dropping Marcus's blade.

"Ganor…" Link whispered. "I warned him…" He looked at the creature. "Now it is up to me. "Golden goddesses, grant me power in this sword, so that when combined with the Sages' strength, I may defeat this enemy of Hyrule!" He picked up the Sages' Sword and both swords began to shine fiercely.

The creature laughed. It was the first time Link had heard it do anything. The cape flew off, revealing the true enemy within. It wasn't human, that was for sure. He had purple, snakelike eyes and the sharp fangs of a wolf. He had an ape-like structure and claws like talons of an eagle. Link could tell he had much strength, and strength and magic together would be unstoppable.

"So, you think that your goddesses and sages will protect you?" he sneered. "You'd best be praying they let you die pleasantly." He formed two black swords in his hands. "Let's start with a little sword-play, shall we?"

They jumped toward each other, swinging their swords, matching each other blow for blow. Link tried a double spin attack, but it was easily stopped. He rolled around him and struck only to have it blocked by one of the swords his enemy held. It went on like that for what seemed like an eternity.

Soon, Link was out of breath, and his enemy laughed, "I'm not even breaking a sweat! You are pathetic… I've just been toying with you."

Link's eyes widened. If this wasn't his best, what was? Link prepared himself. The enemy stabbed at him, but he blocked it. Link sliced vertically with both swords, but was blocked by one of his. The creature then struck him with his second sword. Link fell, clutching his right shoulder. He looked up at his enemy with hate. He was not finished yet. He picked up his swords and put them together, concentrating. _Sages, goddesses, sages, goddesses, sages, goddesses…_ he repeated in his mind. Soon, a pure white orb of magic began to form at the cross of the swords. He pushed the swords forward, making it fly to the creature, who was too slow to block it. He was blown backwards.

"You…" he got up slowly. "You… will… pay for that!"

Link smirked. He ran and struck with his swords, which were still glowing fiercely. It hit again, but the creature brought up his swords and struck Link in the ribs. He gasped and swallowed, but stabbed both swords into his enemy's body. The creature fell, and vanished into a burst of shadowy fog.

Link's breathing became labored. He fell to his knees. "I failed…" he whispered. "If I die here, Hyrule is…" he struggled for air as he clutched his stomach. He closed his eyes. He could feel the blood touching his hand from his wound. "I'm sorry… Zelda…"

"Why are you sorry?" a voice asked above him. He looked up and saw the young princess standing in front of him. "You have done well, Great Hero. You've lived up to your reputation."

"Princess! You are safe!"

"Of course. And you will be too." She knelt by him and placed her small hands on his wound. Her Triforce part on her hand glowed. "Nayru, help our hero…" Immediately, the pain was gone. "There."

Link marveled at her power, but then he remembered. "I have still failed. I should have been able to protect them…" He looked towards the two youths who were still fallen from the battle. "It's too late for faeries to heal them…"

"Not the Great Fairy. And for heroes like you, she will gladly help."

"Say, those were her words exactly!" Tinra flew in. "Hey, Link!"

"Tinra?" Link stood.

"Yeah… I'm sorry that I haven't been much help on this journey, but I can be helpful now! I've asked the Great Fairy to save you guys!"

"And she will?"

"Yep!"

As if on cue, the Great Fairy appeared before them. "Hyrule's Heroes… awaken…" she said, spreading her arms and causing magic to fall like rain on the fallen youths.

They both stood slowly. Seeing Marcus, Ganor went to him. "You're… alright…"

"Of course I am!" Marcus gave a thumbs-up.

"Thank you, Great Fairy, Tinra, and my princess…" Link said gratefully.

"It was nothing," the Great Fairy stated.

"Glad to finally help!" Tinra chirped.

"I was honored to," the princess did a slight bow. "Now, let's go back to the castle."


	17. Epilogue: Back to the Past

Epilogue

Epilogue: Back to the Past

"You've done it," the princess smiled. "You've saved Hyrule."

"That's my job," Link joked.

"Yeah, we were just dragged into it!" Marcus teased.

"I was glad to do something good with my dark powers," Ganor stated.

"I am sorry that I failed to trust you," the princess told him solemnly.

"It is understandable, Princess Zelda."

"Say, Ganor," Marcus nudged his friend. "Aren't you King of the Gerudos now?"

Ganor looked at him. "I am, but…" he turned away, "I haven't been home in… so many years."

"Then it's time to get welcomed back!"

"Would they… want me?"

"If they don't, they'll have to answer to me! Hey, I could be your bodyguard!"

Ganor smiled. "Thank you, Marcus."

"Well, Ganor, Marcus, it was nice meeting you both," Link said in front of the Doors of Time.

"Yeah…" Marcus swallowed hard. "Thank you so much for coming. My mother is back, and now Ganor is accepted at his home… all because of you."

"I can't take all the credit. I wouldn't have survived this long if not for you two and everyone else I've met here." He smiled. "As a final word: Marcus, stay courageous. After all, it runs in your blood. And Ganor, you have great power, as is to be expected. You will be a great hero of Hyrule."

The youths nodded. "Farewell, Great Hero of Time Link," they said, waving. With the Song of Time, he was gone.

They remained to talk to the Sages.

"You have done well, our new heroes," Rauru stated.

"You've saved Hyrule," Saria smiled.

"And now, we can do what we've wanted to do since the Triforce split."

The young princess appeared. "It is time to restore the Triforce, now that all three of its pieces are together."

"Put your marked hands together and concentrate with all your might." They did so. Each triangle was released from them and formed the golden Triforce. "We will keep the Triforce safe here. Now Hyrule will once again be at peace."

Meanwhile, Link had returned to the past. Always remembering his friends from the future, he fought the enemies that threatened Hyrule. He knew that the future would be bright.


End file.
